WeSay Blog
  • What is your medical condition?
  • Education
    • Research
    • CBD faq

WeSay Blog

  • What is your medical condition?
  • Education
    • Research
    • CBD faq
Health

Can Cannabis Help Treat Traumatic Brain Injury? New Research Says So

by Matt Segal June 27, 2019
written by Matt Segal June 27, 2019
Can Cannabis Help Treat Traumatic Brain Injury? New Research Says So

There’s a need for further clinical research to prove the usefulness of cannabis in the treatment of traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability in the US. Statistics from CDC 2014 indicate that an average of 155 people in the United States died each day from injuries that include a TBI. Up to date there is no definitive treatment for traumatic brain injury and most interventions only aim at improving the quality of life of the affected patients. Here is a brief history of TBI.

What is TBI?

Traumatic brain injury occurs as a result of a person sustaining injury to the head either from being struck by an object or the brain being violently jolted. It can be classified as mild, moderate or severe. Most people sustain TBIs from road and sports accidents as well as military-related accidents. About 13,000 servicemen are diagnosed with TBI each year. These are statistics from the Defence and Veterans Injury Centre. TBI symptoms include: loss of consciousness, disorientation, headaches, memory lapses, short attention span, nausea and vomiting, ringing in the years and incoherent speech. Severity of symptoms may vary from one person to the next.

Assessment typically involves an assessment of the patient’s level of consciousness and other neurological assessment. Conventional treatment for TBI includes: rest, use of pain relievers, diuretics, anti-seizure drugs, coma- inducing drugs, surgery in severe cases and rehabilitation.

A Little about Cannabinoids

Cannabinoids are produced by the body and they interact with cannabinoid receptors to support homeostasis in the body. Plants produce phytocannabinoids that act in a similar way to the body’s cannabinoids. The two main phytocannabinoids found in the cannabis plant are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). It is believed that both THC and CBD play a neuroprotective role that may help in the treatment of TBI.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Study

A team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem led by Prof. Esther Shohami conducted lab research on mice and rats to investigate the relationship between cannabinoids and traumatic brain injury.  The cats and mice in the study each received one dose of cannabis and showed significant improvement in the symptoms of TBI that lasted up to three months. This study was published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, june 2019 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30489198).

2-AG is a cannabinoid produced by the body and it plays a role in protecting the brain, however, it is produced in low amounts. The researchers in this  study found that 2-AG levels, which is an anti-inflammatory agent, is significantly higher following trauma. They administered plant derived 2-AG to mice and rats in a single dose and they showed positive results for the next three months. According to Shohami, “The brain creates protection; we wanted to mimic what the brain does, and we wanted to do it better.”  

A team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem led by Prof. Esther Shohami conducted lab research on mice and rats to investigate the relationship between cannabinoids and traumatic brain injury.  The cats and mice in the study each received one dose of cannabis and showed significant improvement in the symptoms of TBI that lasted up to three months. This study was published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, june 2019 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30489198).

Positive results included improvement in motor and cognitive function. The mice that were untreated did not show any positive improvements. Both CB1 and CB2 receptors are involved in the response, but the CB2 receptor is not involved in causing psychoactive effects.

Shohami worked on synthetic molecules that selectively interact with the CB2 receptors, meaning that they give the benefits offered by cannabinoids without altering the state of consciousness. They studied the effects of cannabinoids on the corticospinal tract; this is the first study that has looked into this relationship.

This discovery may pave for clinical trials to prove if this can offer hope to the millions of people suffering from traumatic brain injury all over the world. Prof. Robert Mechoulam, a renowned cannabis researcher, was part of this milestone study conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Shohami stated how complex the treatment for TBI can be in terms of mechanism and timing. This in turn has caused the failure of many clinical trials. In an ideal situation, the treatment should be administered within a few hours after traumatic brain injury. 

Results from this study will be presented at the Cann10 International Medical Cannabis Conference under the title “The role of CB2 receptors in the recovery of mice after traumatic brain injury.”

Another study conducted by the Virginia Commonwealth University showed that cannabinoids could hold a lot of promise in the treatment of traumatic brain injury. This study showed that synthetic 2-AG plays a role in the inflammatory pathways and this could have an impact in: memory and learning, neurological and motor function and the control of seizures.

Yet another study conducted by Ethan Russo, renowned cannabis researcher, showed that cannabinoids play a key role in improving neurological function.

Cannabis research has been derailed by years of criminalization and cannabis prohibition. But with more countries globally warming up to medicinal cannabis, we expect to see large clinical studies that will give concrete guidance on the use of cannabinoids in treating traumatic brain injury. 

Traumatic brain injury patients continue to suffer without definitive treatment, as some die following severe TBI. The study by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is only an eye opener as to the potential that cannabis compounds hold in improving the lives of people living with chronic illnesses, among them TBI.


CBDHEALTH RESEARCH
1 comment
1
Facebook
next post
what can help reduce Anxiety?

Related Posts

Can Cannabis Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome

February 25, 2021

6 Ways How CBD Interacts with Medications

February 25, 2021

First time visiting an online CBD brand here...

October 20, 2020

5 best CBD products for sleep

October 11, 2020

5 best CBD products for arthritis

October 8, 2020

5 Amazing Ways To Add CBD To Your...

September 2, 2020

CBD and the Immune System: 4 Ways CBD...

June 26, 2020

How does CBD make you feel?

June 16, 2020

Best cannabis strains for sleep and insomnia

June 10, 2020

Can cannabis and CBD help or affect coronavirus?

March 23, 2020

1
Leave a Reply

avatar
This comment form is under antispam protection
1 Comment threads
0 Thread replies
0 Followers
 
Most reacted comment
Hottest comment thread
1 Comment authors
Dani Recent comment authors
avatar
This comment form is under antispam protection
  Subscribe  
newest oldest most voted
Notify of
Dani
Guest
Dani

Very interesting,
Thanks.

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
1 year ago

WeSay

Know what CBD can do for different medical conditions. Here are some of our top CBD blog posts that can help you with medical conditions to quickly find the best matching products to assist your needs. Read our articles and know which product will be good for you.

Recent Posts

  • Can Cannabis Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome

    February 25, 2021
  • 6 Ways How CBD Interacts with Medications

    February 25, 2021
  • 5 best CBD products for sleep

    October 11, 2020
  • Is CBD legal? is it legal in your state? A quick guide to CBD legal status

    July 13, 2020
  • Best cannabis strains for sleep and insomnia

    June 10, 2020
  • Can cannabis and CBD help or affect coronavirus?

    March 23, 2020
  • The Best Ways to Celebrate 420

    March 26, 2021
  • 5 Ways to Infuse Cannabis into Edibles

    March 10, 2021
  • How is Delta-8-THC Different From Delta-9-THC

    February 19, 2021

Newsletter Subscription

Keep in touch

Facebook Instagram

Latest Video

logo

Support

Terms of Use Privacy Policy

Company

About Us

Education

Survey Research CBD faq

Biz

Biz - join us

Find Us On

facebook twitter

Apps

google play

Copyright © 2019 wesay.life All rights reserved

Stay tuned with latest news on medical cannabis

Newsletter Subscription

wpDiscuz